Marine equipment inventory tool

ABSTRACT

A system and method for tracking marine equipment is provided. Generally, the system and method of the present disclosure are designed to generate indicia corresponding to the inventory level of marine equipment used for a particular marine activity. To facilitate the assignment of indicia reflecting the inventory level of marine equipment used for a marine activity, the system and method of the present disclosure uses a plurality of equipment profiles having a defined lower limit and quantity associated with each piece of marine equipment. The lower limit may be manually input or automatically generated. The quantity may be tracked by the system using equipment transmitters and equipment sensors. In a preferred embodiment, the indicia indicate whether the quantity of a piece of marine equipment has fallen below a certain specified level as defined by the user. Users may purchase new marine equipment from third-party retailers via the user interface.

CROSS REFERENCES

This application is a continuation of a co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/036,795 filed Jul. 16, 2018, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/532,994, filed onJul. 15, 2017, in which both applications are incorporated herein intheir entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject matter of the present disclosure refers generally to asystem and method for tracking and replacing marine equipment used formarine activities.

BACKGROUND

Before embarking on a fishing excursion, fishermen often visit tackleshops to replace fishing tackle lost or damaged during previous fishingexcursions. If the fisherman fails to replace lost or damage fishingtackle, it may affect the success of their next fishing outing becauseit may result in situations where a certain lure is needed due tocertain environmental conditions but is unavailable due to not beingreplaced. For instance, from late spring and early fall, a dry fly maybe a very effective fly for a fisherman to use while fly fishing in thenorthwest. However, after this season, a fisherman may have difficultycatching fish using a dry fly since flies are less likely to be anactive pray from late fall to early spring. Instead, a fisherman may bebetter off using a streamer. If a fisherman does not have a streamer inhis tackle box due to failure to replace lost or damaged streamers fromprevious fishing excursions, the fisherman will have to choose from agroup of bad scenarios on what they should do. For instance, thefisherman may have to decide whether to stop fishing for the day, driveto a tackle shop to replace the missing tackle, or change their anglingstrategy by using on hand fishing tackle. The use of on hand fishingtackle could potentially ruin a fishing outing as it may seriouslyhandicap a fisherman's ability to catch fish if it is not optimalconsidering the environmental conditions. If the fisherman decides toforgo the fishing outing all together or drive to a tackle shop toreplace the lost or damaged fishing tackle, valuable time will have beenwasted.

Because there are many different kinds of lures and other pieces offishing tackle, it is often difficult for a fisherman to keep track ofwhat tackle needs to be replaced. Additionally, fisherman often usemultiple pieces of tackle in a single outing, making the task of keepingtrack of their tackle box inventory that much more difficult. If afisherman is not entirely sure what is in their tackle box, they maypurchase too much or too little of a particular piece of tackle inpreparation for an upcoming fishing excursion. Purchasing too muchtackle of a certain kind unnecessarily reduces a fisherman's funds thatmight otherwise have been used on something else. Purchasing too littletackle of a certain kind may cause the fisherman to run out of aparticular piece of tackle sooner than expected, which may cause thefisherman to waste time due to redundant trips to the tackle shop.Additionally, failure to accurately track the inventory of a tackle boxmay result in the fisherman unintentionally not replacing a specificpiece of tackle altogether, thus causing the fisherman to make anotherwise unnecessary trip to a tackle shop or forcing the fisherman touse suboptimal fishing tackle during a fishing excursion.

Additionally, fishermen may have multiple tackle boxes designated for aspecific species of fish since the contents of a tackle box may changedepending on the species of fish a fisherman desires to catch. Forinstance, a fisherman angling for largemouth bass will not necessarilyuse the same tackle as a fisherman angling for catfish. Nor will afisherman angling for tuna necessarily use the same fishing tackle as afisherman angling for rainbow trout. The contents of a tackle box mayalso change when the style of angling a fisherman desires to employchanges. For instance, a fisherman desiring to troll for sailfish willnot necessarily use the same kind of fishing tackle as a fishermandesiring to pitch cast for bass. For instance, a fisherman desiring tosurf fish for red fish will not necessarily use the same kind of fishingtackle as a fisherman desiring to fly fish for bone fish. Keeping trackof multiple tackle boxes having fishing tackle for different purposes istedious and may result in a fisherman forgetting to replace a specificpiece of tackle while at the tackle shop or buying the wrong tackle alltogether. Having multiple tackle boxes for different purposes may alsocause confusion, which may result in important pieces of tackle notbeing replaced prior to a specific kind of fishing excursion.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a system and method fortracking tackle in a tackle box so that a fisherman may more easily knowwhat tackle is currently in their possession.

SUMMARY

A system and method for tracking marine equipment inventory used invarious marine activities is provided. Generally, the system and methodof the present disclosure are designed to provide a user with anup-to-date account of the marine equipment currently in the user'spossession. More specifically, the system and method are designed totrack fishing tackle currently in a fisherman's tacklebox and warn thefisherman when a specific piece of tackle needs to be replaced. Thesystem of the present disclosure may comprise marine equipment, anequipment transmitter, an equipment sensor, a processor operablyconnected to the equipment sensor, a non-transitory computer-readablemedium coupled to the processor, a computing device having a userinterface, and a display. In a preferred embodiment, the system andmethod of the present disclosure may generate displayable indiciacorresponding to the inventory levels of a specific piece of marineequipment, which may be presented to the user via a display. The indiciaindicate to the user whether or not the inventory of a piece of marineequipment has dropped below a certain specified level. In anotherembodiment, the system may be linked to a third-party retailer's Pointof Sale system in a way such that the user may purchase new marineequipment via the user interface.

To facilitate the assignment of indicia reflecting the current inventorylevels of marine equipment, the system and method of the presentdisclosure uses a plurality equipment profiles stored within a database.Each equipment profile corresponds to a particular marine activityenjoyed by the user, and each equipment profile has equipment data formarine equipment associated therewith. A marine activity may havemultiple equipment profiles. Each piece of marine equipment within anequipment profile has a defined lower limit and a quantity. A lowerlimit is the minimum amount of a particular piece of marine equipmentthat a user would prefer to have for a particular marine activity.Quantity is the amount of that particular piece of marine equipment auser currently has in their possession. The lower limits associated witheach piece of marine equipment may be manually defined by the user orautomatically generated by the system. Quantity is tracked and updatedvia equipment sensors and equipment transmitters operably connected to aprocessor of the system. Preferably, the quantity may be updated in realtime. Once equipment profiles have been created, the system may performa query to determine whether or not any marine equipment inventory levelis low. By comparing the lower limit with the quantity, the system maygenerate indicia that may warn a user when they are running low of aparticular piece of marine equipment. The processor may assign andtransmit indicia generated for each piece of marine equipment to theuser interface and may present these indicia to a user via a display.

This system allows a user to know what tackle is in their tackle box atall times. This will help a user with time management by reducing theamount of unplanned trips that the user must make to a tackle shop. Thissystem and method will also help prevent situations in which suboptimalequipment must be used due to missing tackle. This in turn should helpthe user be a more successful angler overall, which will increase thequality of their fishing experience.

The foregoing summary has outlined some features of the system andmethod of the present disclosure so that those skilled in the pertinentart may better understand the detailed description that follows.Additional features that form the subject of the claims will bedescribed hereinafter. Those skilled in the pertinent art shouldappreciate that they can readily utilize these features for designing ormodifying other systems for carrying out the same purpose of the systemand method disclosed herein. Those skilled in the pertinent art shouldalso realize that such equivalent designs or modifications do not departfrom the scope of the system and method of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system embodying features consistentwith the principles of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system embodying features consistentwith the principles of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the manner in which individual accessto data may be granted or limited based on user roles or administratorroles.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating certain method steps of a methodembodying features consistent with the principles of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating certain method steps of a methodembodying features consistent with the principles of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the Summary above and in this Detailed Description, and the claimsbelow, and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particularfeatures, including method steps, of the invention. It is to beunderstood that the disclosure of the invention in this specificationincludes all possible combinations of such particular features. Forexample, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of aparticular aspect or embodiment of the invention, or a particular claim,that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combinationwith/or in the context of other particular aspects of the embodiments ofthe invention, and in the invention generally.

The term “comprises” and grammatical equivalents thereof are used hereinto mean that other components, steps, etc. are optionally present. Forexample, a system “comprising” components A, B, and C can contain onlycomponents A, B, and C, or can contain not only components A, B, and C,but also one or more other components. Where reference is made herein toa method comprising two or more defined steps, the defined steps can becarried out in any order or simultaneously (except where the contextexcludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more othersteps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between twoof the defined steps, or after all the defined steps (except where thecontext excludes that possibility). As will be evident from thedisclosure provided below, the present invention satisfies the need fora system and method capable of managing equipment of a marine activitywithout human intervention, and thereby improving upon known systemscurrently employed within the art.

FIGS. 1-5 illustrate preferred embodiments of a system 100 and methodsdesigned to assess quantity 146A of marine equipment 110 andsubsequently generate and display indicia reflecting whether or not thequantity 146A of a particular piece of marine equipment 110 is below alower limit 146B set by a user 105. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 100of the present disclosure may comprise marine equipment 110, anequipment transmitter 112, an equipment sensor 116, a processor 125operably connected to the equipment sensor 116, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium 126 coupled to the processor 125 and havinginstructions stored thereon, and a database 135 operably connected tothe processor 115. In one embodiment, a computing device 110 having auser interface 111 may be operably connected to the processor 115. Inanother embodiment, a server 130 may be operably connected to thedatabase 135 and processor 115, facilitating the transfer of informationbetween the processor 115 and database 135. The various components ofthe system 100 of the present disclosure may be operably connected toone another via a wired or wireless connection via a communicationdevice. The database 135 may be populated by a user 105 who uploadsinformation either directly to the database 135 or who inputs data intothe user interface 121 of the computing device 120 that subsequentlytransfers the data to the database 135 via the processor 125. It isunderstood that the various method steps associated with the methods ofthe present disclosure may be carried out as operations by the system100 shown in FIG. 1. FIGS. 4 and 5 show various methods that may becarried out by the system 100. FIG. 3 illustrates permission levels thatmay be utilized by the present system 100 for controlling access to usercontent 315, 335, 355. FIG. 2 shows how a user 105 may purchase marineequipment 110 through the system 100 from a third-party retailer 215.

As mentioned previously, the system 100 is designed to track quantity146A of marine equipment 110 used for various marine activities. Typesof marine equipment 110 that may be tracked by the system 100 include,but are not limited to, scuba diving equipment, snorkeling equipment,sailing equipment, windsurfing equipment, skiing equipment, and fishingequipment, or any combination thereof. A marine activity is an avocationor occupation that may be executed in a body of water. As such, marineequipment 110 may be any gear used while participating in a particularmarine activity. For instance, the system 100 may track marine equipment110 of a user 105 participating in the marine activity of scuba diving,wherein said scuba diving equipment may include, but is not limited to,a regulator, snorkel, dive mask, depth gauge, scuba fins, etc. Forinstance, the system 100 may track marine equipment 110 of a user 105participating in the marine activity of water skiing, wherein said waterskiing equipment may include, but is not limited to, a life jacket,water skis, ski rope, wetsuit, etc. In a preferred embodiment, marineequipment 110 refers to particular pieces of fishing equipment that maybe used when participating in the marine activity of fishing. Types ofmarine equipment 110 used in the marine activity of fishing may include,but is not limited to, lures, rods, reels, hooks, monofilament line,weights, and nets, or any combination thereof. Therefore, the presentdisclosure may generally be directed towards helping a fisherman managevarious types of fishing tackle.

The system 100 is designed to track marine equipment 110 fitted with anequipment transmitter 112. The equipment transmitter 112 may broadcast asignal containing information about marine equipment 110 to theprocessor 125. In a preferred embodiment, the equipment transmitter 112may be attached to the marine equipment 110 in a way such that theequipment transmitter 112 is associated with only that particular pieceof marine equipment 110. Therefore, an equipment transmitter 112 maybroadcast a signal including information only relevant to the marineequipment 110 to which the equipment transmitter 112 is attached. Forinstance, a jointed minnow lure having an equipment transmitter 112 maybroadcast a signal containing information pertaining only to featuresrelevant to that particular jointed minnow lure. For instance, a fastaction rod having an equipment transmitter 112 may broadcast a signalcontaining information pertaining only to features relevant to thatparticular fast action rod. In another preferred embodiment, theequipment transmitter 112 may be attached to marine equipment 110 in away such that the equipment transmitter 112 is associated with multiplepieces of marine equipment 110. Therefore, an equipment transmitter 112may broadcast a signal containing information relevant to multiplepieces of marine equipment 110. For instance, an equipment transmitter112 attached to a container of plastic worms may broadcast a signalcontaining information pertaining to the entire container of plasticworms. For instance, an equipment transmitter 112 attached to a rod andreel combination may broadcast a signal containing informationpertaining to both the rod and reel.

Information contained within the signal broadcast by the equipmenttransmitter 112 may include, but is not limited to, size, color, shape,brand, model number, construction material, etc. For instance, a signalbroadcast by an equipment transmitter 112 attached to a particular rodmay contain information that the rod is a black 8′6″ G-Loomis® IMX1025-2S Surf Rod with a line rating of twelve to twenty-five lbs. Forinstance, a signal emitted from an equipment transmitter 112 attached toa particular lure may contain information that the lure is a F03 RainbowRapala® Original Floating Minnow having two #12 treble hooks. Types ofdevices that may act as the equipment transmitter 112 include, but arenot limited, to near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth, infrared(IR), radio-frequency communication (RFC), radio-frequencyidentification (RFID), and ANT+, or any combination thereof. In anembodiment, equipment transmitters 112 may broadcast signals of morethan one type. For instance, an equipment transmitter 112 comprising anIR transmitter and RFID transmitter may broadcast IR signals and RFIDsignals. Alternatively, an equipment transmitter 112 may broadcastsignals of only one type of signal. For instance, lures may be fittedwith equipment transmitters 112 that broadcast only RFC signals and rodsmay be fitted with equipment transmitters 112 that broadcast only IRsignals.

The equipment sensor 116 detects the signals broadcast by the equipmenttransmitters 112 attached to marine equipment 110. As illustrated inFIG. 1, the equipment sensor 116 is operably connected to the processor125. In a preferred embodiment, the equipment sensor 116 may beconfigured to detect a number of signal types that may be emitted by anequipment transmitter 112, including, but not limited to, NFC,Bluetooth, IR, RFC, RFID, and ANT+, or any combination thereof. Forinstance, an equipment sensor 116 may be configured to detect Bluetooth,NFC, and IR signals broadcast by one or more equipment transmitters 112.Alternatively, the equipment sensor 116 may be configured to detect onlyone type signal emitted by an equipment transmitter 112. For instance, atackle box 115 may be fitted with an equipment sensor 116 that onlydetects IR signals. Whenever a lure fitted with an IR tag is placed intoor removed from the tackle box 115, the equipment sensor 116 may detectthe addition or removal of the lure and update the quantity 146Aaccordingly. For instance, a storage compartment on a marine vehicle maybe fitted with an equipment sensor 116 that may detect RFID signals.Whenever skiing equipment fitted with an RFID tag is placed into orremoved from the storage compartment, the equipment sensor 116 maydetect the addition or removal and update the quantity 146A accordingly.For instance, a rack for storing scuba equipment may be fitted with anequipment sensor 116 that may detect NFC signals. Whenever a piece ofscuba equipment is added to or removed from the rack, the equipmentsensor 116 may detect the addition or removal and update the quantity146A accordingly. As such, marine equipment 110, equipment transmitters112, and equipment sensors 116 may be combined in multiple ways withoutdeparting from the inventive subject matter as described herein.

The processor 125 is configured to perform the operations disclosedherein based on instructions stored within the system 100. The processor125 may be any processor or microprocessor suitable for executinginstructions. In some embodiments, the processor 125 may have a memorydevice therein or coupled thereto suitable for storing the data,content, or other information or material disclosed herein. In someinstances, the processor 125 may be a component of a larger computingdevice 120. The processor 125 may process instructions for executionwithin computing devices 120, including instructions stored in memory oron a storage device, to display graphical information for a graphicaluser interface (GUI) on an external input/output device, such as adisplay. The processor 125 may provide for coordination of the othercomponents of a computing device 120, such as control of userinterfaces, applications run by a computing device 120, and wirelesscommunication by a communication device of the computing device 120. Acomputing device 120 that may house the processor 125 therein mayinclude, but are not limited to, laptops, desktops, workstations,personal digital assistants, servers, mainframes, cellular telephones,tablet computers, or any other similar device. Accordingly, theinventive subject matter disclosed herein, in full or in part, may beimplemented or utilized in devices including, but are not limited to,laptops, desktops, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers,mainframes, cellular telephones, tablet computers, or any other similardevice.

In a preferred embodiment, the programming instructions responsible forthe operations carried out by the processor 125 are stored on anon-transitory computer-readable medium (“CRM”), which may be coupled tothe server 130, as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the programminginstructions may be stored or included within the processor 125.Examples of non-transitory computer-readable mediums include, but arenot limited to, magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, andmagnetic tape; optical media such as CD ROM discs and DVDs;magneto-optical media such as optical discs; and hardware devices thatare specifically configured to store and perform programminginstructions, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory(RAM), flash memory, and the like. In some embodiments, the programminginstructions may be stored as modules within the non-transitorycomputer-readable medium. The software instructions may be read intomemory from another non-transitory computer-readable medium 126 or fromanother device. Alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in placeof or in combination with software instructions to implement processesconsistent with the principles of the invention. Thus, implementationsconsistent with the principles of the invention are not limited to anyspecific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

Once the equipment sensor 116 detects a signal broadcast by an equipmenttransmitter 112 connected to a piece of marine equipment 110, theequipment sensor 116 may transmit the marine equipment data 146 withinthe signal to the processor 125. The processor 125 may transform themarine equipment data 146 into an equipment profile 140 on thenon-transitory computer-readable medium 126. For instance, equipmentsensor 116 may transfer information pertaining to a jointed minnow lurehaving an equipment transmitter 112 to the processor 125, which maytransform the information into an equipment profile 140 on thenon-transitory computer-readable medium 126. For instance, an equipmentsensor 116 may transfer information pertaining to a scuba tank having anequipment transmitter 112 on the processor 125, which may transform theinformation into an equipment profile 140 on the non-transitorycomputer-readable medium 126. In one preferred embodiment, equipmentprofiles 140 may subsequently be placed in an activity profile 141 ofthe user 105. For instance, an equipment transmitter 112 attached to arooster tail lure may broadcast information pertaining to that roostertail lure, which may be detected by the equipment sensor 116 andsubsequently added to a user's 105 equipment profile 140 via theprocessor 125. The updated equipment profile 140 may then subsequentlybe updated in a user's 105 activity profile 141. An activity profile 141may represent information pertaining to a marine activity at aparticular time and place. This data may include, but is not limited to,environmental data, geospatial data, type of marine species caught, etc.Equipment profiles 140 preferably contain marine equipment data 146about particular pieces or types of fishing tackle that may be a part ofa user's 105 tackle box 115. This data may include, but is not limitedto, the quantity, weight, color, and an image of a particular piece ofmarine equipment 110, or any combination thereof.

Marine equipment data 146 may be updated by the equipment sensor 116operably connected to a processor 125 automatically using NFC,Bluetooth, infrared, RFC, RFID, and ANT+, or any combination thereof,but is not limited to these methods. For instance, a tackle box 115fitted with equipment sensor 116 may detect fishing tackle fitted withan NFC device in a way such that the equipment sensor 116 may determinewhen a lure has been added or removed from the tackle box 115. Theequipment sensor 116 may then communicate with the processor 125 in away such that the marine equipment data 146 associated with the lurefitted with the NFC device may be automatically updated within anequipment profile 140 of the non-transitory computer-readable medium 126and/or database 135. In another preferred embodiment, a tackle box 115may be fitted with an equipment sensor 116 that may additionally detectchanges in weight. When fishing tackle is removed from or added to thetackle box 115, the equipment sensor 116 may communicate with theprocessor 125 in a way such that it may relay the amount of fishingtackle removed from or added to the tackle box 115 based on the changeit weight. In this way, the system 100 may update the quantity 146A offishing tackle within a user's 105 tackle box 115 in real time usingweight data.

In an embodiment, the system 100 may further comprise a computing device120 operably connected to the processor 125. A computing device 120 maybe implemented in a number of different forms, including, but notlimited to, servers, multipurpose computers, mobile computers, etc. Forinstance, a computing device 120 may be implemented in a multipurposecomputer that acts as a personal computer for a user 105, such as alaptop computer. For instance, components from a computing device 120may be combined in a way such that a mobile computing device is created,such as mobile phone. Additionally, a computing device 120 may be madeup of a single computer or multiple computers working together over anetwork. For instance, a computing device 120 may be implemented as asingle server 130 or as a group of servers 130 working together over andLocal Area Network (LAN), such as a rack server system 100. Computingdevices 120 may communicate via a wired or wireless connection. Forinstance, wireless communication may occur using a Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, orother such wireless communication device.

In a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the computingdevice 120 is a mobile computing device. Mobile computing devices mayinclude, but are not limited to, cellular telephones, smart phones,personal digital assistants, tablet computers, or other similar mobilecomputing devices. In an embodiment, computing devices 120 maycommunicate audibly, meaning computing devices 120 may transmit andreceive information via sound waves and covert the sound waves intodigital information. For instance, a user 105 may instruct a userinterface 121 of a computing device 120 with their voice to perform acertain action. The processor 125 may convert the sound waves of theuser 105 into instructions, which the processor 125 may then carry out.Computing devices 120 may likewise generate audible sound for a user105, such as through an audio device. Such sound may include sound fromvoice telephone calls, recorded notes, voice messages, music files, etc.Audible sounds may also include sound generated by applicationsoperating on a computing device 120. For instance, an applicationrunning on a mobile computing device may be configured in a way suchthat when a certain condition is met the application causes the mobilecomputing device to output a sound. For instance, an application may beconfigured in a way such that an alarming sound is emitted via an audiodevice connected to the computing device 120 at a certain time of day.For instance, the processor 125 may receive a signal indicating that anamount of marine equipment has gone below an equipment threshold limit.The processor 125 may then convert this signal into an audio messagethat may be sent to an audio device to make the user 105 aware of thelow amount of marine equipment.

As mentioned previously, the computing device 120 may further comprise auser interface 121. A user interface 121 may be defined as a space whereinteractions between a user 105 and the system 100 may take place. In apreferred embodiment, the interactions may take place in a way such thata user 105 may control the operations of the system 100. A userinterface 121 may include, but is not limited to operating systems,command line user interfaces, conversational interfaces, web-based userinterfaces, zooming user interfaces, touch screens, task-based userinterfaces, touch user interfaces, text-based user interfaces,intelligent user interfaces, and graphical user interfaces, or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, the user interface 121 may beoperably connected to back-end hardware, such as a server, and/orsoftware that separately handles permission levels of the various users105. The system 100 may present data of the user interface 121 to theuser 105 via a display operably connected to the processor 125. Adisplay may be defined as an output device that communicates data thatmay include, but is not limited to, visual, auditory, cutaneous,kinesthetic, olfactory, and gustatory, or any combination thereof.

Information presented via a display may be referred to as a soft copy ofthe information because the information exists electronically and ispresented for a temporary period of time. Information stored on thenon-transitory computer-readable medium 126 may be referred to as thehard copy of the information. For instance, a display may present a softcopy of visual information via a liquid crystal display (LCD), whereinthe hardcopy of the visual information is stored on a local hard drive.For instance, a display may present a soft copy of audio information viaa speaker, wherein the hard copy of the audio information is stored on aflash drive. For instance, a display may present a soft copy of tactileinformation via a haptic suit, wherein the hard copy of the tactileinformation is stored within a database 135. Displays may include, butare not limited to, cathode ray tube monitors, LCD monitors, lightemitting diode (LED) monitors, gas plasma monitors, screen readers,speech synthesizers, haptic suits, speakers, and scent generatingdevices, or any combination thereof.

A user 105 may manually or automatically update an equipment profile 140using a computing device 120. In a preferred embodiment, the computingdevice 120 may comprise a user interface 121, which a user 105 may useto manually or automatically update an equipment profile 140. In apreferred embodiment, marine equipment data 146 may be automaticallyuploaded to the equipment profiles 140 using equipment transmitters andequipment sensors. In another preferred embodiment, marine equipmentdata 146 of an equipment profile 140 may be updated when a user 105purchases marine equipment 110 from a third-party retailer 215 via theuser interface 121. The computing device 120 hosting a user interface121 may be operably connected to a third-party retailer's 215 Point ofSale system as illustrated in FIG. 2. When marine equipment 110 ispurchased from a third-party retailer 215 by the user 105 via the userinterface 121, the Point of Sale system may automatically communicatethe marine equipment data 146 of the purchased marine equipment 110 tothe computing device 120. The processor 125 may then transfer thepurchased marine equipment data 146 from the computing device 120 to anequipment profile 140. In one preferred embodiment, the computing device120 may ask the user 105 which equipment profile 140 the user 105 wouldlike the purchased marine equipment data 146 to be updated. In anotherpreferred embodiment, the system 100 may automatically add purchasedmarine equipment data 146 of purchased marine equipment 110 to anequipment profile 140 based on the quantity 146A of marine equipment 110within the equipment profile 140 compared to the lower limit 146B. Forinstance, the system 100 may automatically add purchased marineequipment data 146 pertaining to plastic red tail worms purchased fromBass Pro Shop® via the user interface 121 to an equipment profile 140representing a particular tackle box 115, wherein that particular tacklebox 115 has a low quantity 146A of plastic red tail worms when comparedto the lower limit 146B for plastic red tail worms. The computing device120 may be operably connected to a third-party retailer's 215 Point ofSale system via the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or other such transceiver, but isnot limited to these methods of communication.

In another preferred embodiment, the user 105 may manually updateequipment profiles 140. This may be done through use of, but not limitedto, a camera, scanning device, keyboard, mouse, voice recognition and/orbiometric mechanisms, etc. For instance, a lure fitted with a bar codemay be manually scanned by a user 105 with a computing device 120 havinga scanning device, such as a smartphone camera, so that the processor125 may automatically input marine equipment data 146 corresponding tothe bar code into an equipment profile 140. For instance, a user 105 mayuse a keypad to manually input marine equipment data 146 into a userinterface 121 hosted on a suitable computing device 120. Once a user 105has manually entered the marine equipment data, the data may betransferred to an equipment profile 140 within the non-transitorycomputer-readable medium 126 and/or database 135 via the processor 125.For instance, a user 105 may manually input equipment data 146 into theuser interface 121 of a computing device 120, which may subsequently beobtained from the computing device 120 by the database 135 via aprocessor 125 operably connected to the computing device 120. In apreferred embodiment, the marine equipment data 146 is obtained by thedatabase 135 from the computing device 120 via the processor 125whenever a user 105 is in an area in which the computing device 120 hasinternet connectivity.

The system 100 may determine whether to alert a user 105 that thequantity 146A of a particular piece of marine equipment 110 is low byusing a lower limit 146B. Lower limits 146B are defined as the minimumquantity of a particular piece of marine equipment 110 that a user 105would desire to have in an equipment profile 140. In a preferredembodiment, a user 105 having sufficient permission levels may manuallyinput lower limits 146B for a particular piece of marine equipment 110of an equipment profile 140 via the user interface 121. For instance, auser 105 may manually input lower limits 146B for various pieces ofhybrid bass fishing equipment within a tackle box 115 via the userinterface 121. Manually input lower limit data may be obtained from theuser interface 121 via a processor 125 operably connected to thecomputing device 120 hosting the user interface 121. The processor 125may then transfer the lower limit data to the corresponding equipmentprofile 140 within the non-transitory computer-readable medium 126and/or the database 135. Manually input lower limit data may beretrieved by the processor 125 in real-time or at a slower rate. In onepreferred embodiment, the lower limit data is obtained by the processor125 from the user interface 121 when a user 105 selects a save functionof the user interface 121, wherein the save function has instructionsthat cause the processor 125 to transfer the lower limit data to thecorresponding equipment profile 140 within the non-transitorycomputer-readable medium 126 and/or the database 135.

In another preferred embodiment, a user 105 having sufficient permissionlevels may choose to have the system 100 automatically assign lowerlimits 146B to marine equipment 110 within an equipment profile 140. Inone preferred embodiment, a user 105 may have the system 100automatically assign lower limits 146B by selecting a preset equipmentprofile 140 within the user interface 121, which automatically generatesmarine equipment 110 needed to enjoy various marine activities as wellas lower limits 146B for that marine equipment 110. For instance, a user105 may select “beginning tackle box” within the user interface 121,wherein the “beginning tackle box” generates lower limits 146B forvarious pieces of fishing equipment a beginning fisherman may want toinclude in a tackle box 115. For instance, a user 105 may select“beginning windsurfing outfit” within the user interface 121, whereinthe “beginning windsurfing outfit” generates lower limits 146B forvarious pieces of windsurfing equipment a beginning windsurfer may needin order to learn how to windsurf. The user 105 may then use this presetequipment profile 140 as the basis in which to purchase new marineequipment 110 for the marine activity in which they would like toparticipate.

Quantity 146A of marine equipment 110 may be represented within the userinterface 121 by displayable indicia. The indicia used to representquantity 146A of marine equipment 110 may depend on the lower limit 146Bfor a particular piece of marine equipment 110. Indicia may be presentedin the user interface 121 as, but are not limited to, colored flags,different colored text, highlighted text, a picture of a lure crossedout, etc. For instance, an equipment profile 140 having a lower limit146B for a red tail plastic worm of six but a quantity 146A of less thansix may be represented within the user interface 121 by an indicia of aworm lure with a red X over it. In a preferred embodiment, text withinthe user interface 121 varies from red, green, and black depending onthe lower limit 146B and quantity 146A of a piece of marine equipment110. Text representing a particular piece of marine equipment 110 may bered when the lower limit 146B is greater than the quantity 146A of themarine equipment 110. Text representing a particular piece of marineequipment 110 within the user interface 121 may be black when the lowerlimit 146B is equal to the quantity 146A of the marine equipment 110.Text for a particular piece of marine equipment 110 may be green whenthe lower limit 146B is less than the quantity 146A of the marineequipment 110.

As previously mentioned, the user interface 121 of a computing device120 may present marine equipment data 146 of an equipment profile 140via a display. Because indicia representing marine equipment 110 of anequipment profile 140 may differ depending on the types marine equipment110 within an equipment profile 140, the indicia presented within theuser interface 121 may differ depending on the equipment profile 140selected. For instance, a tackle box containing fly fishing equipmentmay be presented using different indicia than a storage compartment on amarine vehicle designed to hold skiing equipment. Additionally, the userinterface 121 may be programmed to present only certain types ofindicia. For instance, the user interface 121 of a computing device 120may be programmed to only present indicia related to dry flies, nymphs,and streamers despite the tackle box 115 also containing informationregarding rods and reels. In a preferred embodiment, a user 105 mayinteract with the equipment profile 140 within the user interface 121 ina way such that marine equipment data 146 and indicia of the equipmentprofile 140 may be presented or hidden. For instance, a user 105 mayinteract with an equipment profile 140 via a touch screen of a mobilecomputing device in a way such that the interaction causes the processor125 to instruct the user interface 121 to present the marine equipmentdata 146 of a particular piece of marine equipment 110 within theequipment profile 140 via a display. For instance, a user 105 mayinteract with presented marine equipment data 146 of an equipmentprofile 140 via a touch screen of a mobile computing device in a waysuch that the interaction causes the processor 125 to instruct the userinterface 121 to hide the marine equipment data 146 of a particularpiece of marine equipment 110, which may cause all marine equipment B ofan equipment profile 140 to be visible within the user interface 121.

Once the processor 125 has created an equipment profile 140, theprocessor 125 may save the equipment profile 140 and all data within it.In a preferred embodiment, the equipment profile 140 may be saved to thenon-transitory computer-readable medium 126. Alternatively, theequipment profile 140 may be saved to a database 135. As used herein, adatabase 135 refers to a set of related data and the way it isorganized. Access to this data is usually provided by a databasemanagement system (DBMS) consisting of an integrated set of computersoftware that allows users 105 to interact with one or more databases135 and provides access to all of the data contained in the database135. The DBMS provides various functions that allow entry, storage andretrieval of large quantities of information and provides ways to managehow that information is organized. Because of the close relationshipbetween the database 135 and the DBMS, as used herein, the term database135 refers to both a database and DBMS.

As shown in FIG. 1, the database 135 may be configured to store datarelating to marine equipment 110 therein. The processor 125 may beoperably connected to the database 135 via wired or wireless connection.In a preferred embodiment, the information, data, and/or contentassociated with a piece of marine equipment 110 may be stored as marineequipment data 146 within an equipment profile 140. In a preferredembodiment, the database 135 may be configured to store a plurality ofequipment profiles 140 therein and the various information, data, and/orcontent tied to or associated with such profiles. The database 135 maybe a relational database such that the marine equipment data 146 withinan equipment profile 140 within the plurality equipment profiles 140 maybe stored, at least in part, in one or more tables. Alternatively, thedatabase 135 may be an object database such that the marine equipmentdata 146 within an equipment profile 140 within the plurality ofequipment profiles 140 may be stored, at least in part, as objects. Insome instances, the database 135 may comprise a relational and/or objectdatabase and a server dedicated solely to managing the content assignedto equipment profiles 140 in the manner disclosed herein. Although thedatabase 135 is represented as a single entity within FIG. 1, it isunderstood that data, information, and/or content stored within thedatabase or repository, as disclosed herein, may be stored within aplurality of databases without departing from the inventive subjectmatter disclosed herein.

As mentioned previously, the system 100 may further comprise a server130. A server 130 may be a search server, a document indexing server,and general web server. Servers 130 may be separate entities performingdifferent functions or similar functions. For instance, two or moreservers 130 may be implemented to work as a single server 130 performingthe same tasks. Alternatively, one server 130 may perform the functionsof multiple servers 130. For instance, a single server 130 may performthe tasks of a web server and an indexing server. Although representedas a single server in FIG. 1, it is understood that multiple servers maybe used to operably connect the processor 125 to the database 135 and/orthe content repositories. The processor 125 may be operably connected tothe server 130 via wired or wireless connection.

Search servers may include one or more computing devices 120 designed toimplement a search engine, such as a documents/records search engine,general webpage search engine, etc. Search servers may, for example, mayinclude one or more web servers to receive search queries and/or inputsfrom users 105, search one or more databases 135 in response to thesearch queries and/or inputs, and provide documents or information,relevant to the search queries and/or inputs, to users 105. In someimplementations, search servers may include a web search server that mayprovide webpages to users 105, where a provided webpage may include areference to a web server at which the desired information and/or linksis located. The references, to the web server at which the desiredinformation is located, may be included in a frame and/or text box, oras a link to the desired information/document.

Document indexing servers may include one or more computing devices 120designed to index documents available through networks. Documentindexing servers may access other servers 130, such as web servers thathost content, to index the content. In some implementations, documentindexing servers may index documents/records stored by other servers 130connected to the network. Document indexing servers may, for example,store and index content, information, and documents relating to user 105accounts and user-generated content. Web servers may include servers 130that provide webpages to clients. For instance, the webpages may beHTML-based webpages. A web server may host one or more websites. Awebsite, as the term is used herein, may refer to a collection ofrelated webpages. Frequently, a website may be associated with a singledomain name, although some websites may potentially encompass more thanone domain name. The concepts described herein may be applied on aper-website basis. Alternatively, in some implementations, the conceptsdescribed herein may be applied on a per-webpage basis.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the system 100 may also comprise a pluralityof permission levels that may allow a user 105 to limit what data withintheir equipment profiles 140 they share with another user 105. This datamay be collectively known as content 315, 335, 355. To access thecontent 315, 335, 355 stored within the database, users 105 may berequired to make a request via a user interface 121. Access to thecontent 315, 335, 355 within the database 135 may be granted or deniedby the processor 125 based on verification of a requesting user's 305,325, 345 permission level. If the requesting user's 305, 325, 345permission level is sufficient, the processor 125 may provide therequesting user 305, 325, 345 access to content 315, 335, 355 storedwithin the database 135. Conversely, if the requesting user's 305, 325,345 permission level is insufficient, the processor 125 may deny therequesting user 305, 325, 345 access to content 315, 335, 355 storedwithin the database 135. In an embodiment, permission levels may bebased on user roles 310, 330, 350 and administrator roles 370, as shownin FIG. 3. User roles 310, 330, 350 allow requesting users 305, 325, 345to access content 315, 335, 355 that a user 105 has uploaded and/orotherwise obtained through use of the system 100. User roles 310, 330,350 allow users 105 (or requesting users 305, 325, 345 authorized by theuser 105) to access the user data tied to their own equipment profiles140 within the database 135. Administrator roles 370 allowadministrators 365 to access system wide data.

Alternatively, a requesting user 305, 325, 345 may gain a differentpermission level by paying a fee. In one embodiment, the requesting user305, 325, 345 may pay a general fee that may grant the requesting user305, 325, 345 a permission level that will allow the requesting user305, 325, 345 to access other users' 105 content 315, 335, 355. Forinstance, a requesting user 305, 325, 345 may pay a monthly fee of threedollars to access other users' 105 content 315, 335, 355. In anotherembodiment, a requesting user 305, 325, 345 may pay a fee to aparticular user for a permission level that will grant them access theparticular user's 105 content 315, 335, 355. For instance, a requestinguser 305, 325, 345 may pay a professional fisherman a monthly fee offive dollars to access their content 315, 335, 355. A requesting user305, 325, 345 may pay for a higher permission level using a Point ofSale system operably connected to the system 100. In an embodiment, thecomputing device 120 hosting a user interface 121 may be operablyconnected to the Point of Sale system in a way such that the Point ofSale system may communicate with the database 135 so that it alters therequesting user's 305, 325, 345 permission level. When a higherpermission level is purchased by the requesting user 305, 325, 345, thePoint of Sale system may automatically communicate with the database 135in a way such that it alters the permission level. In one embodiment,the user interface 121 may ask the requesting user 305, 325, 345 whichcontent 315, 335, 355 the requesting user 305, 325, 345 would like toobtain from other users' 105 profiles.

In another embodiment, equipment profiles 140 may be assigned to a user105 in a way such that a user 105 may access such content via a userinterface 121. In an embodiment, the system 100 may be configured tosend a user 105 a notification indicating that another user 105 hasshared information with the user 105. To access the data within a user's105 equipment profiles 140, a user 105 may make a user request via theuser interface 121 to the processor 125. In an embodiment, the processor125 may grant or deny the request based on the permission levelassociated with the requesting user 305, 325, 345. Only users 105 havingappropriate user roles 310, 330, 350 or administrator roles 365 mayaccess the data associated with a user's 105 equipment profile 140. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 3, data within equipment profiles 140assigned to requesting user 2's 325 content 335 may be selectivelyshared with requesting user 1 305 by granting requesting user 1 305access to all of requesting user 2's 325 content 335. Alternatively,requesting user 2 325 may restrict access to their content 335 in a waysuch that requesting user 1 305 may only access certain types of datawithin requesting user 2's 325 content 335. For example. Requesting user2 325 may grant requesting user 1 305 access to environmental data andGPS data of an activity profile 141 but may restrict access to theirequipment profiles 140. In this instance, requesting user 1 305 may viewcontent 315 of requesting user 2's 325 activity profile 141 concerningenvironmental data and GPS data but may not view user 2's content 335concerning what equipment requesting user 2 325 has in an equipmentprofile 140 associated with the activity profile 141.

FIG. 4 provides a flow chart illustrating certain, preferred methodsteps that may be used to carry out the method for creating an equipmentprofile 140 and saving it within the system 100. Step 405 indicates thebeginning of the method. In step 410, a user 105 may choose to create anew equipment profile 140. When a user 105 chooses to create a newprofile, the user 105 may be prompted to provide a title for theequipment profile 140. Any title may be assigned that helps a user 105identify a specific equipment profile 140 having particular marineequipment 110. For instance, a user 105 may assign a title of “hybridbass tackle box” for tracking marine equipment 110 used to catch hybridbass. For instance, a user 105 may assign the title of “high windsailing outfit” for tracking marine equipment 110 used when sailing inhigh wind conditions. Once an equipment profile 140 has been assigned atitle, the user 105 may input marine equipment data 146 for each pieceof marine equipment 110 desired to be in the equipment profile 140. Thismay be done manually or automatically using the manners describedherein. Lower limits 146B may be established by a user 105 manuallyinputting the data into the user interface 121. Alternatively, a user105 may select a preset tackle box via the user interface 121. In apreferred embodiment, the lower limits 146B correspond to a minimumquantity 146A of a particular piece of marine equipment 110 that a user105 would prefer to have in their inventory. For instance, if a user 105would like to have at least three Copper John size 16 flies in theirtackle box 115, a user 105 would set the lower limit 146B to three.

When providing the marine equipment data 146 to the user interface 121,a user 105 may be required to enter certain data fields, such as lowerlimits 146B. If these fields are not provided by the user 105, the user105 may be prevented from creating an equipment profile 140.Accordingly, in one preferred embodiment, the method of the presentdisclosure may further comprise a missing field step 415. During step415, the processor 125 reviews the marine equipment data 146 provided bythe user 105 to assess whether all required fields have been inputted.If all required fields have been inputted, the user interface 121 maysubsequently proceed to the save virtual tackle box step 420. If a user105 fails to provide one or more required fields, the user interface 121may once again prompt the user 105 to input the missing fields marineequipment data 146 during step 410.

Once all required information for an equipment profile 140 has beeninput, step 420 transforms the marine equipment data 146 into anequipment profile and saves the equipment profile 140 within thedatabase 135. Alternatively, step 420 may save the equipment profiles140 within the non-transitory computer-readable medium 126 of thecomputing device 120, which a server 130 may then retrieve via theprocessor 125 and subsequently transfer to the database 135. Once theequipment profile has been saved and transferred to the database 135,the method may proceed to the terminate method step 435. In a preferredembodiment, a user 105 may choose to revise or edit data associatedtherewith in step 425. Upon choosing to revise or edit an equipmentprofile 140, a user 105 may modify marine equipment data 146 associatedwith an equipment profile 140 in step 430. This may be done manually orautomatically as described herein. Once the marine equipment data 146 ofan equipment profile 140 has been modified, the marine equipment data146 is stored within the database 135 or non-transitorycomputer-readable medium 126 in step 420. The processor 125 may thenproceed to the terminate method step 435.

FIG. 5 provides a flow chart illustrating certain, preferred methodsteps that may be used to carry out the method for generating anddisplaying indicia for marine equipment 110 within an equipment profile140. Step 505 indicates the beginning of the method. In the performquery step 510, the processor 125 may perform a query to determine whichindicia to generate for marine equipment 110 of an equipment profile 140by comparing the quantity 146A of a particular piece of marine equipment110 with the lower limit 146B. Based on the foregoing comparison, theprocessor 125 may take the appropriate action in step 515. In apreferred embodiment, the processor 125 may generate indicia in the userinterface 121 for each of the pieces of marine equipment 110 of anequipment profile 140, which may illustrate the inventory level of eachpiece of marine equipment 110. Indicia may be presented in the userinterface 121 as, but not limited to, text, highlights, checks, X's,strikethroughs, symbols, images, or any other suitable indicator. In apreferred embodiment, the processor 125 assigns one of three indicia tobe presented within the user interface 121: red text, green text, andblack text. The processor 125 may assign a red text indicia if a pieceof marine equipment 110 within the equipment profile 140 has a lowerquantity 146A than the lower limit 146B as set by the user 105 in step520. The processor 125 may assign a black text indicia if a piece ofmarine equipment 110 within the equipment profile 140 has an equalquantity 146A to the lower limit 146B as set by the user 105 in step521. The processor 125 may assign a green text indicia if a piece ofmarine equipment 110 within the equipment profile 140 has a higherquantity 146A than the lower limit 146B as set by the user 105 in step522.

Once indicia are assigned to marine equipment 110 within the equipmentprofile 140, the processor 125 may communicate with a display operablyconnected to the processor 125 in way such that the display may presentthe indicia within the user interface 121 to the user 105 during step525. In another preferred embodiment, the equipment data 146 of anequipment profile 140 may also be presented to the user 105 via thedisplay. In yet another preferred embodiment, the computing device 120may be configured in a way such that the user 105 may operate thecomputing device 120 hosting the user interface 121 in a way that causesthe marine equipment data 146 of an equipment profile 140 to not bevisible to the user 105 via the display. Alternatively, the computingdevice 120 may be configured in a way such that the user 105 may operatethe computing device 120 hosting the user interface 121 in a way thatcauses the user interface 121 to present the marine equipment data 146of an equipment profile 140 to the user 105 via the display. Once theprocessor 125 has presented the indicia to the user 105 via the display,the method may proceed to the terminate method step 530.

The subject matter described herein may be embodied in systems,apparati, methods, and/or articles depending on the desiredconfiguration. In particular, various implementations of the subjectmatter described herein may be realized in digital electronic circuitry,integrated circuitry, specially designed application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and/orcombinations thereof. These various implementations may includeimplementation in one or more computer programs that may be executableand/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least oneprogrammable processor, which may be special or general purpose, coupledto receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data andinstructions to, a storage system, and at least one input/output device.

These computer programs, which may also be referred to as programs,software, software applications, applications, components, or code, mayinclude machine instructions for a programmable processor, and may beimplemented in a high-level procedural and/or object-orientedprogramming language, and/or in assembly machine language. As usedherein, the term “non-transitory computer-readable medium” refers to anycomputer program, product, apparatus, and/or device, such as magneticdiscs, optical disks, memory, and Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs),used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmableprocessor, including a non-transitory computer-readable medium thatreceives machine instructions as a computer-readable signal. The term“computer-readable signal” refers to any signal used to provide machineinstructions and/or data to a programmable processor. To provide forinteraction with a user, the subject matter described herein may beimplemented on a computer having a display, such as a cathode ray tube(CRD), liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting display (LED)monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and apointing device, such as a mouse or a trackball, by which the user mayprovide input to the computer. Displays may include, but are not limitedto, visual, auditory, cutaneous, kinesthetic, olfactory, and gustatorydisplays, or any combination thereof.

Other kinds of devices may be used to facilitate interaction with a useras well. For instance, feedback provided to the user may be any form ofsensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactilefeedback; and input from the user may be received in any form including,but not limited to, acoustic, speech, or tactile input. The subjectmatter described herein may be implemented in a computing system thatincludes a back-end component, such as a data server, or that includes amiddleware component, such as an application server, or that includes afront-end component, such as a client computer having a graphical userinterface or a Web browser through which a user may interact with thesystem described herein, or any combination of such back-end,middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system may beinterconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, suchas a communication network. Examples of communication networks mayinclude, but are not limited to, a local area network (“LAN”), a widearea network (“WAN”), metropolitan area networks (“MAN”), and theinternet.

The implementations set forth in the foregoing description do notrepresent all implementations consistent with the subject matterdescribed herein. Instead, they are merely some examples consistent withaspects related to the described subject matter. Although a fewvariations have been described in detail above, other modifications oradditions are possible. In particular, further features and/orvariations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. Forexample, the implementations described above may be directed to variouscombinations and subcombinations of the disclosed features and/orcombinations and subcombinations of several further features disclosedabove. In addition, the logic flow depicted in the accompanying figuresand/or described herein do not necessarily require the particular ordershown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. It will bereadily understood to those skilled in the art that various otherchanges in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts andmethod stages which have been described and illustrated in order toexplain the nature of this inventive subject matter may be made withoutdeparting from the principles and scope of the inventive subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for managing equipment transmitters, thesystem comprising: an equipment transmitter, wherein said equipmenttransmitter transmits a signal that may be used to determine a quantityof said equipment transmitters, wherein said equipment transmittercontains identifying data used to identify said equipment transmitterwithin an equipment profile of a plurality of equipment profiles, anequipment sensor, wherein said equipment sensor detects said signal ofsaid equipment transmitter, a processor operably connected to saidequipment sensor, a power supply, a non-transitory computer-readablemedium coupled to said processor and having instructions stored thereon,which, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to performoperations comprising: receiving said identifying data of said equipmenttransmitter from said equipment sensor, determining whether changes in aquantity of said equipment transmitters has occurred, determining ifsaid quantity of said equipment transmitters has dropped below a lowerlimit of said equipment profile of said plurality of equipment profiles,outputting a computer-readable signal when it is determined that saidquantity of said equipment transmitters has dropped below said lowerlimit.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said non-transitorycomputer-readable medium stores said identifying data transmitted to andfrom said processor.
 3. The system of claim 1 further comprising aserver operably connected to said processor.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein said equipment transmitter comprises at least one of a nearfield communication device, Bluetooth device, infrared device,radio-frequency communication device, radio-frequency identificationdevice, and ANT+ device.
 5. The system of claim 1, further comprising acomputing device operably connected to said processor.
 6. The system ofclaim 5, wherein said computer readable signal causes said computingdevice to emit an alarming sound.
 7. The system of claim 5, furthercomprising a user interface, wherein said identifying data of saidequipment profile is presented within said user interface, wherein saiduser interface uses indicia to alert a user of a change in said quantityof said equipment transmitters.
 8. The system of claim 7, furthercomprising additional instructions stored on said non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, which, when executed by said processor, causesaid processor to perform additional operations comprising: displayingsaid identifying data on said computing device via a display.
 9. Asystem for managing equipment transmitters, the system comprising: acomputing device, wherein said computing device is configured to receiveidentifying data from an equipment transmitter, wherein said identifyingdata is used to identify said equipment transmitter within an equipmentprofile of a plurality of equipment profiles, a processor operablyconnected to said computing device, a power supply, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium coupled to said processor and havinginstructions stored thereon, which, when executed by said processor,cause said processor to perform operations comprising: receiving saididentifying data from said computing device, determining whether changesin a quantity of said equipment transmitters has occurred, determiningif said quantity of said equipment transmitters has dropped below alower limit of said equipment profile of said plurality of equipmentprofiles, outputting a computer-readable signal when it is determinedthat said quantity of said equipment transmitters has dropped below saidlower limit, displaying an indicia via a display of said computingdevice when it is determined that said quantity of said equipmenttransmitters has dropped below said lower limit.
 10. The system of claim9, wherein said non-transitory computer-readable medium stores saididentifying data transmitted to and from said processor.
 11. The systemof claim 9 further comprising a server operably connected to saidprocessor.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein said computer readablesignal causes said computing device to emit an alarming sound.
 13. Thesystem of claim 9, further comprising a user interface, wherein saididentifying data of said equipment transmitter is presented within saiduser interface.
 14. The system of claim 13, further comprisingadditional instructions stored on said non-transitory computer-readablemedium, which, when executed by said processor, cause said processor toperform additional operations comprising: displaying said identifyingdata on said computing device via said display.
 15. A system formanaging marine equipment, the system comprising: an equipmenttransmitter, wherein said equipment transmitter transmits a signal thatmay be used to determine a quantity of said equipment transmitters,wherein said equipment transmitter contains identifying data used toidentify said equipment transmitter within an equipment profile of aplurality of equipment profiles, a computing device having a userinterface, wherein an equipment sensor of said computing device detectssaid signal of said equipment transmitter, a processor operablyconnected to said equipment sensor, a power supply, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium coupled to said processor and havinginstructions stored thereon, which, when executed by said processor,cause said processor to perform operations comprising: receiving saididentifying data, determining whether changes in said quantity of saidequipment transmitters has occurred, determining if said quantity ofsaid equipment transmitters has dropped below a lower limit of saidequipment profile of said plurality of equipment profiles, outputting acomputer-readable signal when it is determined that said quantity ofsaid equipment transmitters has dropped below said lower limit.
 16. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein said non-transitory computer-readable mediumstores said identifying data transmitted to and from said processor. 17.The system of claim 15 further comprising a server operably connected tosaid processor.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein said computerreadable signal causes said computing device to emit an alarming sound.19. The system of claim 15, wherein said identifying data is presentedwithin said user interface.
 20. The system of claim 19, furthercomprising additional instructions stored on said non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, which, when executed by said processor, causesaid processor to perform additional operations comprising: displayingsaid identifying data on said computing device.